AI-generated music faces a chart ban in Australia. Here's what the new rules say

Songs created largely or entirely by artificial intelligence will no longer be eligible for Australia's music charts under new rules aimed at keeping human creativity at the centre of recorded music, according to a report by the BBC.

The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has introduced a new code under which releases must be "substantially human made" to qualify for the charts.

The rules still allow artists to use AI during the production process, but place limits on how much of the creative work can be generated by technology.

Human creativity must remain at the core

Under the new rules, humans must have written the song and performed the lead vocal and primary instruments for a release to be eligible.

AI can still be used for mastering, while tools such as drum machines and auto tune are also permitted.

ARIA said the new code would help "promote the human nature of artistry". The organisation said Australian artists were competing for attention "in the most crowded market in history" and that it was "not interested in promoting or celebrating the success of AI-generated music that does not contain human artistry".

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The changes follow controversy over a cover of Madonna's Like A Prayer by Australian DJ Josh Fawaz. The track recently topped the ARIA dance singles chart and reached number 2 on Australia's overall chart.

The song also became a regular feature on commercial radio and has been streamed more than 48 million times on Spotify alone. Fawaz later added generative AI credits to the track following a backlash.

Artists will have to disclose AI use

Artists will now have to declare AI use when submitting a song for chart consideration.

ARIA said it could retrospectively adjust a song's chart position if it later emerged that the music was largely AI-generated. If the track had reached Number One, the organisation could also request that awards given for reaching the top spot be returned.

Artists and their representatives will be able to challenge their exclusion from the charts.

ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said the changes were designed to keep the charts open to technological developments while protecting human creativity. She said, "These changes reflect our intent to remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry in what is, to say the least, a rapidly developing space."

Herd also said that AI was already part of the creative process for some artists, but that fully AI-generated music raised a different concern. She said, "Artists already use AI tools in their work, the charts can and should evolve to keep room for that, but music generated wholesale by services built on artists' recordings is a different matter."

She further warned that allowing unlicensed AI music to succeed on the charts could undermine the music industry. Herd said, "A chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent."

Australia follows wider push against AI music

Australia's decision comes after similar action in other countries. Earlier this year, a song was banned from Sweden's music charts because it was created by AI.

In July, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said AI guidelines would be rolled out in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia for use in their official charts.

The updated ARIA code, based on the IFPI directive, also excludes music that raises "stream or chart manipulation concerns".

Australian electronic music act Peking Duk is among the artists supporting the move. Last month, the duo shared an AI-assisted version of its 2014 hit High on Instagram with the caption: "When you re-record your own song with AI so Australian radio will play it."

Band member Adam Hyde later told Channel Nine's Today show that AI-generated music was "removing the human experience from life".

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Albanese backs stronger protection for creatives

The changes come as governments and the creative industries debate how AI should be used in music and other creative fields.

In July this year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised "the strongest possible protection" from AI for Australian creatives.

Albanese said writers and musicians would be able to choose if and how their work was used in AI training. He also said it would be "theft" if creatives lost that control and were not paid for the use of their work.